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Provisional Defense Force
The Military arm of the Royal Protectorate of Tampico. Formations Royal Tampico Fusiliers During the PDF's initial formation, all soldiers that served were considered part of the Royal Fusiliers, all other regiments, with the exception of the Yeomanry and Yank Brigade, were formed from the Fusiliers. Currently numbering at 500 men, the Fusiliers make up the mainstay of the PDF's forces. At one point made up of all white soldiers, NCOs and officers this was changed with the passage of the Integration Act under the Cruces Administration, making all units within the PDF mixed race. The main duty of the Fusiliers are to act as the PDF's main offensive and defensive arm, usually operating alongside the Yeomanry in this regard. However, unlike the Grenadiers or Household Cavalry the Fusiliers, lke the Yeomanry aren't made up of professional soldiers. Rather they are made up of reservists, called up whenever they are needed, with each major town having some sort of arsenal for soldiers living within the town to store their firearms and equipment. The Fusiliers, after the creation of the PDF in 2167, were personally commanded by Admiral George St. Clair, and later were commanded by the famous Monty Comstock III, and currently under the commander of General Hayden Dempsey. The Fusiliers are made up of five battalions, numbering one hundred men each, with these being broken down into two companies of fifty men each, then sub-companies of twenty-five, from there they are formed into platoons, squads and sections at their commanding officers discretion. Tampico Guard Grenadiers The Tampico Guards were originally started as a penal unit, where soldiers with disciplinary issues, mental illnesses or addictions could be sent so that morale and discipline in the regular units could be maintained. The Guards were posted to the Protectorate's distant, and isolated border forts, used to prevent tribals, fauna, mutants or Ganaderos from raiding into the Dominion proper, and the various forts and posts along the border were constantly under attack from these various groups. Thus fatality rates were rather high in the Guards, and an assignment to the Tampico Guards was seen as something akin to a death warrant. numbering only 150 men, plus whatever levies or mercenaries the individual posts could raise to support their garrisons, the will of the men was constantly being strained by the constant assaults and harassment. It was a well-documented episode when during the First Anglo-Ganadero War when Fort St. Clair was surrounded by invading Ganadero armies, the Guard garrison along with a handful of volunteers from within the fort's civilian population successfully resisted the Ganaderos until the arrival of the PDF's 1200 man army. During the two month siege, the defenders were said to have held off massive assaults on the fort, where they were outnumbered nearly three to one and after just barely resisting the attack, counter-attacking into the Ganadero lines to spoil any follow-up assaults. Stories of heroism and utter madness permeated from the Tampico Guards, as some of the Protectorate's bravest soldiers emerged from the unit, as much as some of the most mad dog killers to ever walk the dominion. Men such as Pedro Fontanez, the infamous psychopathic killer, had served with distinction in the Guards, while others like Keith Hendricks went from decorated war hero to infamous warlord as he was responsible for several massacres of tribals and ganadero homesteaders alike. However by 2230, the face of the Tampico Guard Grenadiers had changed, the unit no longer served as a repository for the PDF's worst and instead was transformed into an elite military unit, where it was an honor, not a death sentence to get an assignment to it. This was capped off with the creation of the Parliament Guard, an elite squad of twelve select soldiers tasked with the duty of protecting the HMS Princess of Lisbon ''and escorting the Prime Minister about the Dominion. To this day the Tampico Guard Grenadiers serve as the protectors of the dominion's frontier, and as one of two units that remain in constant operation. Provincial Yeomanry Originally set up to give the PDF a "coloured corps" of expendable cannon fodder, the Provincial Yeomanry have proven to be anything but that in the past. Initially, a segregated unit, with most of the rank and file made up of Hispanics and other minorities, while their officers were all white, this has since changed with the passing of the Cruces Administration. Prior to the PDF's integration, the Yeomanry had been stocked purely with conscripts, with the drafting process jokingly called, "el proyecto de la muerte" or the death draft. Many of the draftees had to be rounded up by members of the Constabulary, and when they were finally delivered to the PDF's training grounds, they were usually given the bare minimum training necessary, handed a uniform and an old rifle. The moral in the Yeomanry was infamously low, with desertion in the field being a commonplace, and mutinies occurring nearly constantly. It wasn't until the Battle of Vasquez Gulch that a bit of esprit de corps was given to the Yeomanry. It was during one of the initial expansionary offensives, George St. Clair had drawn up, the offensive itself had ceased and the PDF was only cleaning up and securing the territory they had recently captured. It was during this time that a patrol of Yeomanry had been pursuing a group of Comancheros when they came upon an encampment. Sending back a messenger pigeon, several companies arrived with reinforcements. Deploying around the camp, the men were ordered to fix bayonets and charge the camp. The attack was swift and brutal, with the Comancheros either being run off or killed. However, the encampment had been a ploy, the Comancheros, had lured the Yeomanry in and along with hordes of savage tribals, had surrounded the camp. The leader of the Comancheros demanded that the Yeomanry give up their weapons, the Yeomanry refused. As they dug in, several pigeons were sent carrying messages to the main force, almost all of them were shot out of the air by the surrounding horde. They were too far for flares to be used, and thus the Yeomanry realized it would be a fight to the death. For three days they held off nearly constant attacks, and on the fourth day, the men fixed bayonets and attacked the tribal lines at midnight, breaking through and allowing the Yeomanry to escape to safety. Returning to their unit they reported the mass of tribals and Comancheros to their commanders, and a day later returned with the full regiment, routing the tribals and their Comanchero allies. This victory earned them praise from across the Protectorate, and for the first time, the men felt pride in wearing their uniforms. As of currently, the Yeomanry are no longer an all Hispanic unit, rather they are an integrated unit, and with the abolishing of the Draft in 2283, are made up of all volunteers. They currently number at 300 men, being broken into three battalions, two companies and from there platoons and sections. Household Cavalry The Household cavalry, unlike the rest of the PDF's forces, were not an invention of Admiral St. Clair. The PDF's cavalry force is the newest addition to the PDF, numbering only 150 men, the Household cavalry is broken into two squadrons, Wesley's Royal lancers, and the Royal Tampico Light Horse. Formed in 2280, the original purpose for the Household Cavalry (at the time known as the Tampico Scouts) was for them to act as a forward scouting force, however their role quickly changed to that of a light attack force, used to harass enemy supply lines, raid enemy lines and when needed, exploit gains made by the infantry. When the Scouts were eventually formed into a cavalry unit, the first unit formed was Wesley's Royal Lancers, named after Sir Duff Wesley, the Wesley Lancers became the cuirassiers of the PDF, armed with carbines and lances they were often deployed to punch through weak areas in enemy positions or to ride around and hit heavily defended outposts. The second regiment, the Royal Tampico Light Horse were formed not long after Wesley's Royal Lancers, made up of volunteers from all across the Protectorate, the Light Horse has since served the role as the fast attack force of the PDF, raiding enemy camps, hitting supply trains, and pillaging rear areas. The Light Horse itself has become known for the colorful characters and lax discipline within the unit, having hosted Texan cowboys, Lipan and Jicarilla warriors, the sons and daughters of nobles, and escaped slaves, the Light Horse has become known both for their skill in battle and brazen approach to combat. Formed by Major Manuel Rosa, in 2281 the Light Horse has served with distinction since then. Yank Brigade The Yank Brigade was originally conceived as a mercenary auxiliary by George St. Clair, to be utilized primarily to escort supply caravans to and from the line. However, since the original band of mercenaries was hired, the Yank Brigade, in all of its incarnations has become a part of the PDF's fighting forces. Originally made up of 45 mercenaries calling themselves The Damned 33rd, the PDF's Yank Brigade has played host to both upright and ethical mercenaries, to the most coldblooded killers to walk the sands of Tamaulipas. Initially used as an extension of the PDF's supply service, the Yank Brigade took on a larger and larger combat role as their prowess was proven time and time again that they are just as efficient fighters and their regular counterparts, proving especially effective in countering insurgencies and dealing with tribals. While the unit itself, and its members have been controversial in the past, the Yank Brigade has remained a constant appendage of the PDF. However, due to incidents that occurred between the unit's mercenaries and Protectorate civilians, the unit has been banned from entering any town or municipality within the Protectorate, and has been permanently quartered at Fort Henry George along the Dominion's frontier. As of recently, the PDF has stopped contracting whole units of mercenaries to fill up the Yank Brigade's ranks, but rather has hired out individual mercenaries in order to fill up the ranks of the Brigade. Equipment & Organization At its inception, the PDF's troopers were outfitted primarily with L85 rifles, Beretta service pistols, grenades, concussion grenades, kevlar body armor along with their BDUs and various auxiliary equipment. However, as the Protectorate expanded, and the various bands of comancheros, vicious tribals, not to mention the hostile fauna and flora that had moved into parts of Tampico were pushed out or exterminated, the PDF's equipment began to suffer. With a finite amount of spare parts and replacements for destroyed gear, the PDF's quartermasters began to turn to the wastes to fill the void created by their lost equipment. The first weapons brought into the PDF from the outside, were the Mexican M-72 assault rifle and American R-91, both of which had been examined by the British Army before the war, and deemed not of sufficient quality to serve the purpose of the general service weapon for their forces. These were, however, all that was available to the PDF, and thus they bought them up, along with all the 5.56 mm ammo they could track down, these weapons were worked into the PDF's arsenal, alongside the handful of remaining L85s and a small collection of pipe based weapons. Heavy weapons are a rarity in the PDF, before the war the Royal Marines that were aboard the ''Princess of Lisbon ''were armed with a few light mortars, however, most of these have since rusted and either have been scrapped or have been torn apart for parts. The few pre-war US Army depots the PDF has come upon in its advance across the Tamaulipan wastes have provided the PDF with a few mortars of varying caliber, and through the innovation of men like Higgins Tomlinson, the PDF utilizes crude rockets, encased in iron and packed with gunpowder or other explosive compounds. Energy weapons are also rare in the PDF, what few energy weapons the PDF has at its disposal are taken from old military depots, or bought from merchants, as the soldiers of PDF had had no prior experience with such weapons, many of the soldiers were grossly underprepared in their use. After a number of accidents occurred, the PDF limited the use of energy weapons to those specially trained in their use, with such a specialist being posted to each platoon. However, due to the scarcity of micro-fusion and energy cells in the Protectorate, these weapons and their users rarely see any action. However, when they do it's mostly for intimidation or shock. As for body armor and uniforms, the PDF have managed to maintain the great majority of their pre-war uniforms, and produced more through contracts with clothing producers. The typical PDF uniform varies depending on the soldier's posting, those posted out along the frontier are typically dressed in a drab uniform, with an equipment webbing and steel "brodie" style helmet, with the brodie style helmet being replaced with a pith helmet in the Tampico Guard Grenadiers and Household Cavalry. Body armor is typically worn only by officers, and members of special units, like the Parliament Guard. Provisions, for the most part, were once made up of whatever canned or preserved goods the PDF had in its stores, with only the officers getting a properly cooked meal. Since the reforms made to the army following the rise of Jorge Cruces, the PDF has maintained a sizable herd of Longhorns, purchased from the Cattle Country, for the purpose of feeding the army in the field. Recently cattle rustlers have begun to target the PDF's herd, despite the added risk of putting themselves up against trained military personnel. Vehicles and supply are typically handled by private firms, the Royal Caribbean Trading Company has run the PDF's supply service since it bought out the contract in 2190. What few trucks and cars that still worked in Tampico when the Royal Marines came ashore, have all since broken down and stripped for parts, in a few cases the larger trucks have been stripped out and converted into large wagons, being pulled about by a team of Bulls or Brahmin, which are used almost exclusively as pack animals. The PDF does have access to one small helicopter, named ''Osprey ''and is used for patrolling the airspace around Tampico harbor, and to keep a lookout for the ocean's many leviathans. Institutions & Posts *'The Royal Academy of Strategic Studies - Or 'La Real Academia de Estudios Estratégicos '''in English, was established in 2200 by George St. Clair and Provisional Government as a training center for the PDF's various officers, and staff. Since its foundation, the school has received numerous donations from wealthy donors and family's thus the school's interior is rather ornate, sporting some of the finest accommodations in all of the Dominion. Thus it gained a reputation for being a bed of elitist sentiment among Army officers, those who don't attend the Academy and instead rise through the ranks in the Army are generally looked down upon by their Academy counterparts, creating a great deal of ire among their more vulgar compatriots. However, in the aftermath of the Native Rebellion, the Academy welcomed into its ranks a number of Hispanic faculty and student, along with several students from Victorian controlled, Ganadero republics. In recent years the Academy has become infamous for its inclusion of uses of torture, chemical warfare and the creation of bantustans in its curriculum. The school's Rector, Professor Roberto Gimenez and Commandant, Colonel Tristan Rogen have both taken steps to phase these topics out of the school's curriculum. *'Fort Granger - One of the countless PDF posts protecting the Dominion's frontier, Fort Granger is unique in the sense that it is the only military post along the frontier to possess a consulate and holds the PDF's Counter-Insurgency Training Center. It is here that PDF troops are trained in the art of counter-insurgency tactics, and warfare. It was when the center was first opened that the PDF's infamous "General Battle Plan No. 2" was formulated, this tactic that would come to earn infamy in both the PDF, Protectorate and among their enemies. The plan stated that for every one death in a PDF unit, a village was to either be displaced or wiped out, this led to more than a few massacres, and plenty of Ganadero settlers and tribals dying in "internment camps." Alongside the Counter-Insurgency Center is a consulate that gives the Provisional Government's representatives the ability to communicate with and coordinate with the various Ganadero republics that inhabit the Saltlands. Gallery Grand union flag.png|The battle flag carried by the Yank Brigade. Gray Walsh.jpg|Keith Hendricks, "The Butcher of Shallow Gorge" Grays Lancers 3.jpg|A collection of mercenaries posing for a photo. Grays Lancers.jpg|PDF soldiers during the First Anglo-Ganadero War. Household Cavalry 2.jpg|Wesley's Royal Lancers preparing to charge. Category:Groups Category:Mexico Category:Tamaulipas